Unlocking Your TECHDISC, Part 1

As a coach, I am always on the lookout for better ways — sometimes just additional ways — to help clients understand key points. Being able to reliably measure the forces applied to a thrown disc is a seismic shift in this regard.

After working directly with dozens of clients using a TECHDISC—some in-person at our facility, others remotely, using a TECHDISC they purchased—I don’t hesitate to recommend the product and platform to everyone. I’ve witnessed the impact it can have within a single 2-hour introductory lesson. Remote coaching (video conferencing, chatting) instantly becomes 50 percent more effective when the client has a TECHDISC in their hands that produces data on my screen.

I have a disclaimer, though. My perspective is undoubtedly skewed. My experience with TECHDISC has thus far been through personal use, and as an instructor. As a user, I began with an advanced understanding of disc characteristics and throwing mechanics, and my clients, through working with me, have access to that “interpretative” knowledge as well. For others, unlocking the true benefits of TECHDISC might not be so automatic.

It reminds me of when I discovered creative apps like Photoshop or Garageband. In both cases I was excited at the potential to create art and music, only to discover that there would still be tons to learn about the products and the media upon which they were designed. I was daunted by the learning curve required just to get started.

Using a TECHDISC is simple. Download the app, connect via Bluetooth, throw the disc, and flight numbers appear. Using a TECHDISC to get better at disc golf, however, is not so different than an artist or musician learning to use the aforementioned apps from scratch.

This is the first of what will likely be a series of posts intended to help fellow disc golfers unlock TECHDISC. The plan, to avoid bogging down with lengthy technical discussions, is to touch on several different areas in each post, including:

• Exploring the platform— Capturing and viewing throw data is only the tip of the iceberg
• Understanding the numbers as interlocking components of disc flight
• Applying that understanding to the confident creation of the ideal combination of disc, throw type, and throw-type details (the stuff measured by TECHDISC) —something that must be done in less than 30 seconds, again and again.
• Going from “knowing what to do” to “How to do it” to “I’m doing it!”

If readers ask specific questions in the comments or by contacting me directly, I’ll do my best to address them in the next post.

Before starting, I want to draw special attention to the last bullet on that list. If you buy a TECHDISC, read the rest of this post and the others in the series, feel you’ve gotten a good handle on the first two bullet points, but still struggle with the 4th and maybe also the 3rd and therefore see no measurable difference on the course . . . don’t be discouraged.

Read our reviews on the site or Google Maps and you’ll see a repeating theme beyond the generous compliments; people of widely varying skill levels and experience who only needed to work 1-on-1 with an expert who can tailor the lesson to their needs. If that is the last piece of the puzzle left to be able to throw to your potential, why not? Think about it, and in the meantime let’s begin our deep dive into TECHDISC.

when to use The App and when to use techdisc.com

A disc golf disc with a TD (short for TECHDISC) puck attached to it can interact with the TD platform in two different ways; by connecting it via Bluetooth to techdisc.com on a web browser, or to the iOS or Android apps. Don’t think of it as either/or; both methods have their uses.

Connecting your TECHDISC through a browser has the benefit of universality. Pretty much anything that can get an internet connection, has Bluetooth, and isn’t ancient can connect to your TECHDISC, if needed. But that’s not where the web interface shines, just a nice backup plan in case the app isn’t available.

Logging in to your account at techdisc.com is where the research takes place, compared to the app and disc, which are used to collect specimens (throw data) out in the field. Whereas the app easily connects to the disc and clearly displays basic information (along with another killer feature), the ability to dig deeper, experiment, and search for patterns exists only on the web platform.

Digging Deeper

View the list of your throws at techdisc.com, then click on one of them. You’ll see one important stat (Advanced Ratio) that doesn’t appear on the app display. This number is a calculation of spin rate and speed, and a good indicator if you are achieving enough spin for your armspeed and disc choices. You’ll also see 3D mapping based on their computer model’s projection of the throw’s flight path. (Since there are numerous external factors their model can’t take into account, don’t get too hung up on what it looks like.)

Experiment

Regardless of whether you think the 3D graphic looked like your real throw or not, clicking on it opens the secret passageway to a virtual laboratory where you can play the What-If game two different ways: Change around the flight numbers of the disc to see how the flight of your disc changes when you use a slower, lighter, or less stable disc, for instance.

Change the actual measured Throw Details of the throw being displayed to see the various ways—and what would be required, effort-wise—to get the disc to move in the direction you desire. If a throw with your current driver’s flight numbers dumps to the left, up the spin rate until it flattens out for longer, or lower the launch angle, or both.

Searching for Patterns

The longer you work with TECHDISC, the more useful the collected data becomes. This is especially true if you proactively use the platform’s ability to add tags and a note to each throw. TECHDISC automatically assigns backhand/forehand and hyzer/flat/anhyzer designations, but you can add more info. For instance, #afteraround to see how fatigue affects your form, or #cold, or #windy, or various specific discs.

More data points + more throws over time = more potential revelations about how score better through improved insights.

The App

The iOS app has been out for some, but the Android version was released more recently. I mentioned one big feature of the app aside from its simple function and optimized display, and here it is: If you want to work with your TECHDISC and know the results of each throw without having to look back to a screen, you can! Simply set the app up to audibly read out the measured stats of your choice. This works great when you’re working on something specific and use the stats as instant confirmation of whether you’re on the right track.

Spin vs. Speed

I have had similar experiences lately with three of my clients who own their own TECHDISCs. In each case, I have for some time been stressing the importance of imparting enough spin on a disc to enable it to fly as intended. I’ve done my best to explain why throwing shots with more spin and less speed allows a player to gain additional precision when needed and achieve steep turnover shots that cover short distances.

They all listened. Each of them embraced the mechanical changes we made, stressing a crisp halt of the body on drives to increase snap. Somehow, though, it became clearer—and therefore more of a priority—through the use of TECHDISC.

• Seeing the RPM (spin) number increase when you work on a mechanical change specifically intended to increase spin is for some a more concrete form of evidence than seeing the difference in flight because memories fade but numbers are forever. Or something like that.
• As noted above, the Customizer can be used to see how increasing spin changes flight “in the lab.”
• TECHDISC provides a calculated metric called Advanced Ratio which describes the ratio of speed to spin rate for any given throw. It is Speed divided by RPM multiplied by the circumference of the disc. For a typical throw, an optimal ADV ratio is in the mid-40s, and this provides a simple benchmark, regardless of speed or distance.

I believe that as with many things in a sport as complex as disc golf (they say it’s easy to learn and hard to master) half of learning new skills and tricks is gaining a deep enough understanding of that element of the game. As I explain in Three Paths to Better Disc Golf (and touch on in this blog post) there are six ways to manipulate the flight of a disc. Six knobs to adjust, if you will, to get the exact flight you want. Spin is one of those knobs.

If I have a low ceiling on a 200-foot shot and need a throw that turns over at the finish, I’m probably better throwing an understable disc with a hyzer nose angle and use extra spin to create the turn, rather than releasing with anhyzer, due to the low ceiling.

My clients seem to be grasping these concepts more clearly thanks to TECHDISC, and that has given them more motivation to work on spin-inducing drills. Whether you own one or not, you can still use the Customizer to see why spin is such a crucial component to getting the flight paths you need and the distance you crave.

Hit me up with questions and I’ll do my best to answer them, and might include some in the next TECHDISC post.